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garry litke
City hits home run with baseball diamond improvements
PENTICTON - Baseball fields around town are set to get much-needed improvements thanks to a new partnership between the City and Penticton Slo-Pitch League. The fields at Lions, Parkway and Skaha ball diamonds will get new rooftops, players’ benches, a new utility shed, tractor and metal base plates (the peg-system used in the past caused...
Outgoing council has tearful goodbye at last council meeting
PENTICTON - There were tears around the council table during the meeting Monday night as goodbye speeches were made by three outgoing members, all of whom have served Penticton for nearly a decade. Coun. John Vassilaki, who has been a councillor for twelve consecutive years, went first, listing council’s accomplishments over the years and giving...
City offers e-bill service to Penticton residents
PENTICTON - Residents now have an easier, greener option for paying their bills with a new e-service being provided by the city. Electric Utility users can sign up for electronic bills, which arrive each month in PDF file format directly to the customer’s email inbox. “The City is proud to offer convenient services like e-bills...
Litke still has a few tricks up his sleeve
PENTICTON - With two months left in office, Mayor Garry Litke hopes to accomplish a few more things before he walks out the doors of City Hall for good. Before he became mayor, Litke was a city councillor for eight years. Being a part of the team that created the South Okanagan Events Centre was...
Litke is hanging up his mayoral hat
PENTICTON - Mayor Garry Litke is calling it a day and will not run in the upcoming city election. Litke has been mayor for only 13 months, after he was chosen to replace former mayor Dan Ashton in a by-election in fall 2013. Before that, he spent eight years as a city councillor, and 33...
Sentes contemplating running for mayor
PENTICTON - The mayoral race could get a little heated by the end of the week, depending on whether one councillor decides to follow her peers and run for mayor. Coun. Judy Sentes says her name will be on the ballot, but she's not sure yet if she'll run for council or the mayor's seat....
Litke says election rumours are ‘terrible’
PENTICTON - Mayor Garry Litke is keeping his lips sealed about whether he will run for reelection despite the circulating rumours he does not want to be mayor any longer. Litke will still announce his decision on October 7 — three days before nominations close — whether he will seek more time at the head...
This is who’s running for city council so far
PENTICTON - There is a growing list of candidates bidding for a spot on city council and there's still almost two months until ballots are cast. Coun. John Vassilaki and Coun. Andrew Jakubeit are both giving up their council seats for a chance at being mayor, and former councillor Wes Hopkin's seat is also vacant....
A Penticton proposal getting support from unexpected places
PENTICTON - Penticton council has an unexpected supporter for its push to put oversight for large-scale events under the provincial umbrella—the Boonstock Music and Arts festival. All but one member of Penticton's councillors and mayor used the Union of B.C. Municipalities Convention this week to lobby provincial government ministers hard to take on the regulatory...
Penticton wants province to look after Boonstock
PENTICTON - City council has taken its Boonstock woes straight to the provincial government and it appears the province is interested in taking it on, along with other large music festivals. In a release today, the City of Penticton says its full contingent of mayor and councillors (minus only Coun. John Vassilaki) at the Union...
ARCHER: City staff aren’t immune from taxpayer scrutiny but here’s a better idea
PENTICTON - City Hall has quite the series of plot lines going these days, with lawsuits, legal threats to citizens, complaints from residents and rallies outside on the street. Mayor and city councillors have taken a lot of heat from the media and public, whether it’s about vote results, a development project, or the use...
This is how a 76-year-old woman responded to threats from Penticton city hall
PENTICTON - A local woman refuses to apologize to city staff about comments she made in letters sent to city staff and council, and puts herself at risk to be sued. Elvena Slump, 76, has been an outspoken member of the public and has written several letters to local media and city council critical of...
Vassilaki considering trading his council seat for mayor
PENTICTON - Local businessman and city councillor John Vassilaki plans to run for mayor in the upcoming municipal election this fall. Vassilaki says he is considering running for mayor and will make a public announcement at the end of the month. He will have some competition for the hot seat, as current Mayor Garry Litke...
ARCHER: Holding government leaders accountable
Government bodies get a bad rap when it comes to spending money, and sometimes the facts prove our tax dollars are not being well spent. But when government officials show us what's in their pockets, it becomes easier for the public to trust their leaders and the decisions they make on behalf of the community....
PenMar Society receives loan from city for theatre improvements
PENTICTON - The PenMar Community Arts Society was chosen by Council to receive city funds to help with the construction of the theatre’s extension. The society can receive a loan up to $125,000 from the City’s Amenity Fund for improvements made during construction of the PenMar Theatre’s addition. Different organizations submitted applicants to receive the...
Seniors considered in new transit plans
PENTICTON - Councillors discussed the need for more public transit options at last night’s city council meeting, including increased evening hours and shorter wait times. Staff presented options for the new three-year contract with B.C. Transit that will run from 2015 to 2018. Options including extending certain routes, all night services and Sunday services. The...
Celebrate a revitalized downtown at the city’s block party
PENTICTON - The City is hosting a block party next week to celebrate the newly revitalized Westminster-Martin western gateway. Revitalization of the 200 block of Martin Street between Westminster Avenue and Nanaimo Avenue was the first phase of the City’s Downtown revitalization plan. Construction began in late February and finished at the end of May,...
Residents and councillors disapprove gas bar and Tim’s project
PENTICTON - Residents of Roy Avenue spoke out against the potential construction of a gas bar and Tim Horton’s on a property adjacent to their street, saying it would be too noisy, smelly and just plain unnecessary. The gallery was full at Tuesday’s public hearing and council meeting. Both residents and councillors expressed their disapproval...